# Humidity dropped to 65% after adding cigars in new humidor



## Maxxx

Hi,

I had been seasoning my humidor for the last two weeks and yesterday I felt it was time to put my two new cigar boxes in it. Humidity was stable at 70%. My two boxes of cigars had been stored in a temporary coolidor at around 65-70% humidity for two weeks.

After putting the boxes in the humidor, humidity dropped to 63% and then up to 65%. Is that normal?

I'm using a crystal gel humidifier with propylen glycol. Would you recommend getting Heartfelt Beads? What would be the best for a 100 cnt humidor?

Thank you so much in advance

MAx


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## Bondo 440

Hi Max. First of all, don't panic. RH swings when loading cigars is average. Just loading cigars in my 100 count, the RH will go down 1-4 % because the humidity escapes with the lid open. Then it comes back to normal.The RH change you are seeing does not seem to be critical. It should stabilize. 

I like my cigars at 63-65% RH. You may find 70% is a little high but that's your own decision. Also using PG is probably the least popular hydrating method. The hydration media and hygrometer are usually the first things a new Humidor owner will replace. But the kit with the 100 count humidor will suffice to get you started in your hobby.

Kitty litter ( the right kind ) will put that humidor at 65% RH. HeartFelt Beads are available as well. 
First thing is to determine where you like your RH. That will help you decide the best hydration technique. 

This is a popular and well-versed topic I am sure you may get some more info shortly, however don't panic or do any major changes.
You should be fine just keep an eye on things, and congrats on your new humidor.


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## Isaac

Sounds like your cigars humidity was a little lower...they're sucking the humidity up. As long as they don't start going back down, just give it a week. I bet the humidity will work its way back up. If they are at 65, they're fine. Many people prefer 65% to 70%.


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## ezlevor

Sounds about right, I wouldn't worry too much. As long as the rh is holding steady now. Most people prefer their cigars in that range anyway, and consider 70% a bit too much humidity.


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## Maxxx

Thanks guys for your answers. I'll wait a little bit and see what happens.
So if I decide to keep it at 65% can I use HeartFelt Beads? Would you happen to know a good online store where I could get them (I live in Canada)?
Thanks!


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## Bondo 440

Maxxx said:


> Thanks guys for your answers. I'll wait a little bit and see what happens.
> So if I decide to keep it at 65% can I use HeartFelt Beads? Would you happen to know a good online store where I could get them (I live in Canada)?
> Thanks!


I use HCM beads. But for Heartfelt, their store is online. You can poke around below. 
But don't buy anything until someone who uses Heartfelt speaks up with advice.
Heartfelt Industries, Heartfelt Cigar Humidor Humidity Beads, Heartfelt Beads, Humidors, Quality Cigar Accessories


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## TopsiderLXI

Heartfelt is great. Depending on how often you open your humidor, the beads will keep a constant humidity anywhere from 2-8 weeks without recharging. All you need to do to recharge them is pour/spray *distilled *water on them. Non-distillied water has contaminants that will ruin your beads. The heartfelt website has a calculator that will tell you how many beads you need based on your dimensions. A+ product and the only thing I use!


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## Habanolover

TopsiderLXI said:


> Heartfelt is great. Depending on how often you open your humidor, the beads will keep a constant humidity anywhere from 2-8 weeks without recharging. All you need to do to recharge them is pour/spray *distilled *water on them. Non-distillied water has contaminants that will ruin your beads. The heartfelt website has a calculator that will tell you how many beads you need based on your dimensions. A+ product and the only thing I use!


I agree with everything said above. The only difference I have is that I only need to recharge mine once around the beginning of Spring and then 2 or 3 times during Winter. I also need nowhere near the amount recommended on the website. This is just my personal experience but you cannot go wrong using HF beads. It also helps that the owner is a fellow BOTL in every sense of the word. :tu


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## Cigar Guru

Pretty normal. Adding new cigars and the opening of your humi introduced new air (might have been lower ambient rh).

Its take anywhere from a day to a week to stabilize.

Won't harm your smokes. Cigars are a lot more resilient than we Hoarders give them credit for LOL.


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## shawnrichardson

yelp - no worries Max. my humidor drops a percent or 2 when adding new smokes, and then comes right back up after a day.


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## Fuzzy

I have the opposite problem, though it is really not a problem.

I like the way my mostly maduro cigars smoke at or below 65%. The outside average RH (ambient Rh) in the swamp is almost always above 70% and sometimes into the mid-eighties. When I purchase from online vendors, my storage usually jumps up and it has taken from one week to well over a month for everything to get stable. Using HF beads I almost always get a two point drop a week until 65% is achieved.


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## orion1

TopsiderLXI said:


> Heartfelt is great. Depending on how often you open your humidor, the beads will keep a constant humidity anywhere from 2-8 weeks without recharging. All you need to do to recharge them is pour/spray *distilled *water on them. Non-distillied water has contaminants that will ruin your beads. The heartfelt website has a calculator that will tell you how many beads you need based on your dimensions. A+ product and the only thing I use!


I have heartfelt beads in my small cabinet humidor and in my desktop humidor (also Boveda packs 69% in desktop). IThe beads are the best investment I ever made to keep my cigars comfy. I had an electronic humidification system and ended up with mold. Then switched to beads (65%) 2 years ago and could not be happier. If you go this route, I would recommend adding some extra above the recommended by their calculator and you will see less fluctuations in your RH. If you have a relatively small humidor, it is not too expensive.


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